Shannon MacMillan

Did you ever see a woman soccer player kick the ball so hard that she knocks another soccer player down? Shannon McMillan can! Shannon was born on October 10, 1974 in Escondido, California. She is only 5 feet 5 inches but she has an incredibly strong kick. Shannon won a soccer scholarship to the University of Portland where she studied social work. When she was little, her family moved from Long Island, NY to Southern California. A few of the neighborhood persuaded Shannon to join the local soccer league. She fell in love with soccer from the first game. Shannon plays midfield and forward.

Shannon Macmillan won the 1995 Hermann Award as college soccer’s top player. U. S. National Team coach Tony DiCicco cut her from the pre-Olympic roster in 1996. Shannon was very angry and cried her head off. She returned to University of Portland where her coach told her that DiCicco would have to change his mind if she worked hard enough. Shannon worked hard and DiCicco took her for the National Team. She scored the golden goal in the 1996 Olympic semifinals against Norway. A game later she was standing on top of Podium with a gold metal around her neck. She was an important member of the 1999 Gold medal winning World Cup team. The fans loved her hard work and powerful corner kicks. Shannon is the assistant soccer coach at the University of Portland. She helped direct Portland to the NCAA Final Four in 1998.

Image courtesy of U.S. Soccer Communications Department

by Alex &Will, fourth grade, 2001

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